From home to ashes
@BearArtistLady (5382)
United States
October 14, 2017 1:05pm CST
Happy birthday to me. What a wonderful way to celebrate!!!! On October 3 I went to see my pain doctor and came home to finding my entire life a blaze. All my bear making supplies, mementos, and even sadder...my companion animals are gone. I don't have any of my passwords for my computer accounts as I had them written down on paper in the house. DON'T try retrieving them from the various accounts as I swear they are all computer operated and there isn't a human within a hundred miles of the office. My mind is fried to say the least and trying to remember things is next to impossible!!!! Unfortunately I do remember that today, October 14th is my birthday, but I wish it would go away!!!!! I keep remembering my "critters" that perished in the blaze.....and to clarify things, I am not anywhere near the fire in Santa Rosa/Sonoma area. I am a couple hundred miles south.
I am still feeling kinda sorry for myself....and I feel really awful for all the people up north that lost everything they own too. Our plight is what brought me back to myLot. Make sure that you write down ALL your passwords to your various accounts and keep them someplace safe. Don't count on a safe or a metal box. I had papers in a safe...the safe survived, but the fire was so hot that the papers burned anyway. My passwords for my computer accounts were on the computer and the computer was destroyed too! So, keep your important information someone safe because it is VERY likely that your brain will be fried like the rest of your life.
6 people like this
7 responses
@GardenGerty (157463)
• United States
16 Oct 17
I saw your name the other day and remembered you from other sites. This is a sad post. I have my passwords in two different notebooks, but I should change that, I am sure. Many of them are variations on a theme. Hugs to you. My mom lost animals in a fire once and it was incredibly sad.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (157463)
• United States
22 Dec 17
@BearArtistLady I am so slow getting back and if you are getting anywhere with your insurance claim you have been busy as well. Sending a pm to you .
@BearArtistLady (5382)
• United States
16 Oct 17
Thank you for your kind words! It is a true challenge of both faith and determination to get through this. I have a TON of stubborn determination (my boyfriend can testify to that! ROTFL!!). Plus my BF's family are being great. They were here Saturday & Sunday for my birthday and they are planning the rebuild. Bill' daughter came up with the idea of a modular home so it would be up almost immediately. They all have been great!!!
I was told by the fire fighters that in a fire the animals just go to sleep and the end is quick. They have proof of that fact so it helps a lot with the pain from the loss.
What I would do with the passwords is save them all on a flash (thumb....) drive so you can carry them with you. I have what is left of my life in my purse and when I get back from town today I'll have a couple of them to save all my important information and passwords on. I can get a couple @ Wally World for $4 each.
I remember you too! It is so WONDERFUL to connect with friends again?. May I ask that we keep in touch?
TONS OF HUGS AND LOVE!!!! Toni
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40396)
• United States
14 Oct 17
I'm so sorry for all your loss. I can't imagine. That is good advice about passwords, though. I know this won't be a happy birthday, but you have my good wishes.
2 people like this
@BearArtistLady (5382)
• United States
14 Oct 17
Thank you for your good wishes. I just hope what has happened to me can help others. They may never be struck by a disaster, but one should never go through life thinking "It'll never happen to me."
1 person likes this
@LovingMyBabies (85127)
• Valdosta, Georgia
26 Oct 17
I am so so sorry for what you have been through. I cannot imagine losing everything like that, especially my fur babies. =(
1 person likes this
@BearArtistLady (5382)
• United States
27 Oct 17
The hardest thing is losing the fur babies. Dinglebeary was 20 years old when he passed in the fire. It was really weird though, for several weeks before the fire he was really clinging which was unusual for him. It was like he knew what was going to happen. I had him since he was two years old. But like I said in a previous post I am doing a special bear ear and the proceeds are being donated to the humane societies in my area, in memory of my furry babies. Also, if you scroll up you will find the picture of Petey, the one cat that stayed with me and survived the fire.
Thank you for your kind words too! The post and kind words help a lot!
1 person likes this
@BearArtistLady (5382)
• United States
27 Oct 17
We got the Fire Marshal's report and the fire wasn't my fault. That is a huge weight off my mind and shoulders.
Yes, I was on Bubbles quite awhile ago. I came back to the Lot because I missed my friends.
1 person likes this
@BearArtistLady (5382)
• United States
14 Oct 17
I am extremely lucky, my boyfriend has taken me in. He lives across the street and two doors north of where my house stood. Unfortunately it was a dog and two cats trapped in the fire. There was no way for them to escape. I found the remains in the ashes. My boyfriend's daughter took them to town to be cremated for us to deal with later.
There was NO way anything could be saved as I live way out in the country and our fire fighters (California Division of Forestry) was away on another fire call. As it was when my boyfriend and I got home at 10:45 p.m., there were fire crews from three towns (San Miguel, Paso Robles, and Templeton) plus the forestry guys. I just hope my experience can help others save themselves heartache and grief. Also, be sure if you have pets to post somewhere away from your structure and someplace obvious, that you have pets. Make sure to post what kind (dog, cat etc), and how many. Also either have them chipped, tattooed, PR a collar on them with ALL your important information for whomever finds them.
Your picture is very familiar...have you been on the lot long?
1 person likes this
@MALUSE (69416)
• Germany
14 Oct 17
@BearArtistLady I've been here for one and a half years. Before that, I was on the site bubblews which closed shop stealing a lot of money from the members. Many members from bubblews have moved over to myLot.
2 people like this
@BearArtistLady (5382)
• United States
17 Oct 17
That could be where I remember you from. I definitely remember the picture as I think it is a really super picture!
The animals that are missing are cats. I discussed it with people who are experienced in the field of caring for frightened, terrorized, and traumatized animals and they do tend to run away an seek out new homes. When the time is right I will adopt again.
@BearArtistLady (5382)
• United States
3 Nov 17
Bit by bit I recover a bit more each day. It's a hard road to travel putting it mildly. Now its kind of a hurry up and wait game. I am waiting for the attorney to contact me and see if things can move forward on the lawsuit. Hopefully they can!
@shaggin (71655)
• United States
17 Dec 17
Gosh I can’t imagine what would be a better place to keep things then a safe
I am so sorry to read this terrible news. Is your username different now that you are back?
I am so sorry to read this terrible news. Is your username different now that you are back?@shaggin (71655)
• United States
18 Dec 17
@BearArtistLady Losing a pet is so painful! That on top of you losing your home to had to be just about unbearable and why you have PTSD. I have it too after my husband dying but after 6 years I am finally doing better then I ever was before. It was horrible and it sounds like yours was even worse then mine. Search around see if uou can find your old posts maybe it will help jog your memory a little reading them.
@shaggin (71655)
• United States
18 Dec 17
@BearArtistLady I found your old name
This is Toni LoCicero's user profile on myLot. Discussions, responses, comments, likes & more.
1 person likes this
@BearArtistLady (5382)
• United States
18 Dec 17
I'm fairly sure the user name is different. I went into serious shock when I saw that it was my house that burned down. I think my previous user name had "bear" in it. The psychologist told MRE that I have PTSD and it isn't a light case of it either. (No crap Sherlock!! I couldn't remember a password to save my life!!! That was the tip of the ice berg! I was informed by another doctor that I will probably never totally recover.)
The problem with my fire was it burned about five times as nor as a normal fire. The frame to the mobile home was twisted in ways that it wouldn't have in a normal fire. We're still trying to figure out what happened to the two toilets. There is NO sign of them. The neighbor's place burned down and the crumbled remains of his toilets are on the ground where his bathrooms used to be. Mine are just gone without a clue.
I'm not looking forward to Christmas. We're going up to Bill's kids and grandson's for the holiday. I get to love the daughter and son in law's dogs and hurt more over having lost my dog and cats in the fire. I can't replace them because Bill is super neat and clean and animals get to stay outside.
1 person likes this
